Senator Gallivan Applauds Funding to Protect NY Farmland

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma) is praising the state’s commitment of nearly $38 million to the Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program to help farmers across New York protect valuable and at-risk land. The funding represents the highest amount ever offered through the program.

"Protecting New York’s valuable farmland is critical to the future of our agricultural industry,” Senator Gallivan said. “By preserving this land, we help to ensure that today’s farmers, and the next generation of farmers, have the resources necessary to support their business and provide high quality products that we all depend on.”

Under the program, municipalities, counties, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and land trusts are eligible to apply for individual grants of up to $2 million to help offset the costs of conservation easement projects that protect viable agricultural land from being converted to non-agricultural use. The Farmland Protection Implementation Grant program is funded through New York State's Environmental Protection Fund, which was included in the State Budget at $300 million for the third consecutive year.

Since 2011, the state has invested more than $62 million in 82 farmland protection projects statewide.